Dustless road



.l (No Model.)

P. W. MATTERN.

DUSTLESS B OAD, RAILWAY ROADVBED, am. No. 602,023. Patented Apr. 5,1898.

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NITED r STATES FREDERICK W. MATTERN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE DUSTLESS ROADBED COMPANY, OF

CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

DUsTLEss ROAD, RAILWAY ROAD-BED, sw.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,023, dated April 5,1898.

Application filed December 5, 1896. Serial No. 615.008. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. MAT- TERN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDustless Roads, Railway Road-Beds, and Race- Courses, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is to construct or manufacture roads,railway roadbeds, and race-courses which shall be free from dust andfrom which dust cannot be raised by the wind created by'moving trains orthe passage thereover of animals and vehicles.

Other objects of the invention ar'e to construct satisfactory roads androad-beds at comparatively slight expense, to protect them from washingduring heavy rains, to prevent them from becoming muddy, to prevent thegrowth of vegetation thereon, and to darken the color of roads whichreflect the light and are thus annoying to the eyes.

Another object of the invention is to produce wagon-roads having theelasticity of the natural dirt-roads, thus affording ease and comfort tothe horses feet, while at the same time all discomfort and inconveniencefrom dust are avoided. In addition to the comfort derived by travelerson dustless roadsV the protection from dust lafforded to orchardists,

' vineyardists, and others whose growing crops lie along the sides ofroads or railways is of great value.

In carrying out my invention I treat the surface ofthe road or railwayroad-bed with mineral or other suitable oil, which is heavy and butslightly volatile. I have used in some instances a crude oil of heavyspecific gravity and high test mixed with maltha. The manner oftreatment will depend upon the nature of the surface to be treated. Theoil Will readily enter sand, cinder, gravel, or other loose absorbentmaterial; but mechanical means are usually necessary toincorporate itthoroughly with fine dust, upon which it tends to stand in globules.

The accompanying drawing shows a verti- I will-now describe a method ofputting my 4 invention into practice on a well-traveled road. When bythe traffic thereon the surface of the road has become covered to thedepth of from one-half inch to three inches with dust, maltha and crudeoil of heavy specic gravity and high test are mixed together and themixture is applied in parallel lines crosswise of the road, about sixinches apart, in' quantities sufficient to moisten the 'dust on theroad. Where the dust is one-half inch deep, I would use about seven andonehalf gallons of the compound to a square rod. This is done while thedust is dry, and the dust is then thoroughly raked overl until thecompound is fully incorporated with all the dust on top of the solidhard-pan or subbody B of the road. The roadis then sprinkled withsufficient water to aid in packing the loose surface, which is thenrolled to make the saine compact, after which the road is ready fortravel. The road thus formed will serve Vthe purposes of my inventionfor ordinary country travel. I/Vhere heavier traffic occurs, cinders oroxid of iron or other mineral dust, or both, may be placed on thenatural road as atop coating and then be saturated with the maltha andoil` or substitute therefor in the same manner as where the natural dustof the road is used. v

For railroads the material can be mixed before it is applied totheroad-bed. It is found, however, that where railway road-beds areconstructed of sand, gravel, cinder, or other material of an absorbentnature the oil may be applied by simply sprinkling it on the sur- `faceof the road-bed. The amount of oil necessary to `eiectively keep downthe dust will depend to a certain extent on the nature of the materialof which the road-bed is constructed.

I am aware that Water has been sprinkled upon streets and highways forthe purpose of preventing dust; but the water does not form a permanentmixture or composition with the material of the street or highway, itseiect being of a temporary nature. On the other hand, I form a :fixed orpermanent composition ot' oil and the fine material of the road orroad-bed, differing in its nature, as well as in its objects andeffects, from the water-sprinkled surface. In fact, one -of'the objectsof the invention is to throw off water in order to aid in thepreservation of the road or f road-bed. The mixture of oil and finematerial', produced does not bake or become hard; but 1 the oil retainsits moist condition, and when l Y used on railway road-beds the ballastcan be I In the following claims I shall use the term 2. A road having acovering consisting of ilne earthy or mineral matter and heavy oil andmaltha incorporated therewith, substantially as described.

3. A railway road-bed of fine material, such as gravel, sand, or cinder,having-its surface treated with heavy oil as and for the purpose setforth.

FREDERICK WV. MATTERN.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. TowNsnNn, ALFRED I. TowNsEND.

